Nightstrike's Prophecy
by AnonPaperclip
Summary: The life of a young PineClan cat is flipped upside down when the ghost of a dead friend haunts her everywhere she goes.
1. Prolouge

So, this was originally written by me over on Wattpad but I decided to share it here too!

anyway, here goes (expect a whole bunch of updates)

A grey tabby awoke in a field of heather. There was no scent, but she guessed this was Meadowclan territory. Why was she here?

Moments passed before she was able to move. The tabby took a few steps forward, but then halted. Something was wrong, but what? The atmosphere didn't feel right, it was thick and almost hard to breathe. The sky was tinted crimson as well as the grasses around her. It was very unsettling.

"Fallenpaw...!"

A distant echo carried her name. The voice rang in her ears. It sounded familiar, but so far off.

"Fallenpaw...!"

The echo continued to cry out.

"Fallenp..."

The next call had trailed off and the echo was never heard again in the time that followed.

Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath her feet, plunging Fallenpaw into complete darkness. She tried to move and right herself, but found it hard, like she was submerged under water, but this wasn't water. She'd waded through water before, it was harder than walking but pretty easy to adapt to. Here, it was different, the liquid was thick and uncomfortable.

She tried to breathe, but only got a mouthful of what tasted like metal. _Blood._ A lake of blood was pulling her down further and further as low voices whispered in her ears.

Multiple voices occurring randomly. It was hard to pick out what they were saying, but it soon became remotely clear.

"...Night will strike and blood will spill under the light of the moon..."

She could feel her lungs screaming at her to breathe, but she couldn't. She, then, felt a sharp prod in her side. Fallenpaw managed to swivel her body around, but found no source of pain.

"Fallenpaw...!"

The echos were back, much clearer this time, but before she could try to figure out what was going on, the world around her went black.

"Fallenpaw! Wake up!" A sharp, urgent voice was calling to her. "Get up!"

Fallenpaw opened her eyes to the familiar leaves and bracken of the medicine den. Still a bit shaken by her nightmare, she got up. "Whiskermoon..?"

"Yes, get up and go find a branch. Duskshadow's kits are coming."


	2. Chapter 1: I Promise

"Can't catch me, Toadkit!" a white kitten shouted before bolting off.

"Hey!" Toadkit replied, a bit shocked, "Shadekit, come back!" he ran after him.

Nightkit looked up, shutting her eyes immediately from the bright glare of the Greenleaf sun. It was around sunhigh and she'd spent most of the day dozing off while listening to Shadekit and Toadkit's wrestling. The two looked quite different but Nightkit suspected they were brothers. There were three queens in the nursery, but neither of them resembled Redwhisker. Shadekit was white with amber-yellow eyes and Toadkit was white and black with green eyes, while, on the other hand, Redwhisker was a dark red-ginger with black ears.

Opening her eyes back up again, Nightkit got to her feet and stretched. Toadkit was the first to notice and spoke up right away. "Nightkit! You're up!" he chirped.

"Finally." Shadekit said sarcastically, following Toadkit on their way to greet Nightkit.

"Yeah.." she yawned.

"H-how was your sleeping?" Toadkit asked.

"It was alright... Until _somebody_ interrupted," she glared at Shadekit who immediatly looked away shamefully. Nightkit's eyes softened as she realized she'd never seen Shadekit this sorry before. It wasn't much different, but still odd.

Shadekit must have noticed her confused look and became eager to change the subject, "Hey! Maybe Duskshadow has another story for us! Or even Redwhisker!"

"Yeah!" Toadkit chirped in response.

Nightkit was now curious, never hearing of any of her mother's stories. She happily turned to face Duskshadow, whom she almost forgot was behind her,"Please, ma?"

Duskshadow nodded and turned to the two brothers,"So, which one would you like to hear?"

"How about the one where you chased a Meadowclan cat out of our territory?" Toadkit squeeked.

"Or the one about Lionkit?"

Duskshadow seemed to freeze at the sound of their name. _Who's Lionkit?_ Nightkit thought. The name rang a bell, but not enough. She still drew a blank.

Shadekit flinched,"Or maybe Toadkit's suggestion?"

Her mother's gaze was still dim, but she smiled,"Alright. I was patrolling with a few clanmates... Um.. Sunpelt, Wrensong, and... uh.. I think Redwhisker... Right?" she turned towards the drowsy queen.

"Yeah, I was there. Flamestripe too."

"Right, right. Where was I? Oh yeah, we were patrolling along the Pineclan-Meadowclan border when I suddenly caught the scent of... heather.. on our side of the border. So, naturally we go check it out, right? Well, then we see this Meadowclan cat catching mice on our turf, so we first tried to reason with him..."

Both Shadekit and Toadkit looked confused, like they too were hearing it for the first time.

"But then, ...he attacked. Something was wrong... he.." Her voice was cracking, "...his eyes were wide, like he was terrified or something... white foam lined his jaw... he.. he was out of control. Wrensong was the first one dead... then Sunpelt... then Redwhisker... Flamestripe tried to run but was tackled and killed.."

"Duskshadow...?" Shadekit whispered.

"He didn't come after me, though..." she clearly didn't hear him,"but I was forced to the ground... A searing pain ran down my belly... I... I could feel MoonClan calling... but.."

"Duskshadow, I know you aren't old enough to be telling stories like that. That never happened, and we're all still alive!" Redwhisker interrupted,"and, on top of that, telling a story like that to a couple of kits who'd easily be afraid of anything."

"Like you'd know what having kits is like, Redwhisker. You don't even have a litter yourself!" A white she-cat playfully sneered from across the nursery.

"But I will!" she challenged,"and they'll be better than yours!"

The white cat smirked,"Shadekit and Toadkit will grow up to be the best warriors in Pineclan!"

"Yeah!" Shadekit squeeled.

"I guess, yeah." Toadkit muttered.

Nightkit looked around confused. Nearly every queen in here had as much enthusiasm as their own kits, including Redwhisker, of course. She turned her head away from the teasing queens and looked outside. A bright and brilliant light pierced its way through the bramble walls and opening, forcing Nightkit to shut her eyes again. Turning away and looking ahead, she found herself glancing at the two brothers and how different they seemed. She starred at them longer and found even their sitting posture was different. Toadkit sat his head and neck a tad bit lower than Shadekit, who had his chest puffed out with pride.

Her thoughts switched back to the nursery's exit. The bright light hadn't faded at all and she could almost feel its heat sizzling her fur. As if she were entranced in the dazzling brightness, Nightkit made her way towards it, occasionally stumbling on her still tired legs.

The light got brighter and brighter as the leaves and brambles of the nursery exit seemed to open up around her. The harsh sunlight gave way to a dark green grass that fell over a large clearing. In the center or the clearing was a pile painted with different colors of the forest floor.

A fit of rustling caught her attention towards another opening to one side of the clearing. Different cats, all carrying something in their jaws, came through and dropped their items onto the pile. Curiosity pulled her to the splotched pile, and she obeyed, lightly walking up to it and checking it out. The pile sent off a mouthwatering aroma. The scent was so strong, she almost lunged forward and took a bite.

Nightkit gazed up to the top of the pile, realizing each different color was a body of some sort. Muttered laughter caught her attention. She turned around to find a golden brown tom watching her and smiling amusedly.

"S-something wrong, sir?" she asked, thinking back to what she was doing heartbeats ago and wondering if she did anything to upset him.

"No, no. You're fine. I'm just admiring how curious you are."

A knot formed in Nightkit's gut.

"I mean, thats a sign of a good warrior, and maybe even leader."

The knot loosened at the sound of what she could become,"Leader?"

He nodded,"Darkstar's been awful cranky lately, which means she could be close to joining the elders."

"Or maybe worse..?"

He nodded again,"What if I proposed a deal with you?"

"A deal? Like what?"

"Wouldn't you love to be deputy and possibly leader of Shadowclan?"

"Y-yeah! That sounds amazing!"

The tom smirked,"Well, if you help me become leader, I'll make you my second-in-command. Think about it. Being able to be above everyone else, being able to direct the clan however you'd like. Fighting with your clan against our rivals."

Nightkit didn't think twice and immediately responded,"Yeah! I'd love that!"

"Good. I could go speak with Darkstar and, when you get old enough, be able to apprentice you. What do you say?"

Nightkit nodded happily.

The tom's smirk turned into a smile, leaning towards Nightkit and whispering,"Just don't tell anyone, you promise?"

"I promise."

He leaned away,"You should get going now before you find yourself in trouble, Duskshadow's probably looking for you."

"I will, thanks sir, er.. what's your n..." she trailed off, watching him walk away towards a large rock with a tunnel beneath it. Nightkit shrugged it off and ran back to the nursery.

A/N: Oh my god, I didn't think I'd get reviews at all on the prologue. Thanks guys! I'll try to update this as often as I can (I have two other stories I need to work on too, but this is my priority right now)


	3. Chapter 2: Lessons of Life

Nightkit continued forward to the nursery, stopping occasionally to take in her surroundings. The lush, sharp trees towered above and swayed in the breeze. Their giant roots becoming dens for small creatures, flying, feathery animals resting in their arms which seemed to reach up towards the vast blue sky.

Viewing the world came to a halt when she accidently slammed into a spiky wall. She gasped, shocked, and backed away. Shaking it off, Nightkit continued her walk back to the nursery and then felt a sharp pain shoot up her leg. She yelped in fear, jumping backwards and squirming to look at her leg.

Her paw felt as if it was burning. "Momma!" she squealed,"Help me!"

She heard the padding of paws on grass come closer, and hope flaired in her chest. She looked to see who was coming. It was a light gray tabby whose name she didn't know.

"Are you okay, kit?" She said.

Nightkit blinked. Her voice was unbelievably soft and soothing. "There's something in my paw and it _really_ hurts!"

"Let me see it." she turned to inspect Nightkit's paw,"Hmm... You've got a thorn stuck in there." the tabby reached down and pulled it out.

She rolled back onto her feet, the pain was still there, but it didn't hurt as much,"Thanks...ma'am."

She smiled warmly,"You can just call me Midnightshine. What's your name, little one?"

"I'm Nightkit."

"Nightkit. You should go see Whiskermoon, she might have some herbs to stop infection. Her den's just over there under those two bushes. Go along now, and if you need anything, just call!" she touched Nightkit's forehead with her nose and padded off towards a large, dug out patch of brush.

Nightkit stared after her for a few heartbeats before making her way to Whiskermoon's den. The bushes looked much bigger up close and she almost backed away. She looked down into the hollowed out cave. It was so dark in there! How could they see?

"Do you need anything?"

A voice sounded behind her. Nightkit jumped, her fur standing on end.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm no threat, just Fallenpaw."

Nightkit swiveled around, she'd heard the name before, in one of Snowheart's tales of her life, she had just never seen Fallenpaw. She looked up and saw a small, silver tabby with soft white paws and blue eyes. The tabby, however, seemed to stiffen for a heartbeat before calming.

"O-oh! Hello, Fallenpaw. Do you know where Whiskermoon is? I got a thorn in my paw and Midnightshine sent me here to get it treated for infection or something." she explained.

"Yeah, Whiskermoon's out collecting herbs, but I can treat it for you. Come along."

She pushed past Nightkit and disappeared inside the medicine den. Nightkit followed, feeling the soft leaves of each bush brush against her fur. Everything seemed hardly visible. A large shaft of sunlight came down from above and lit up the area enough for Nightkit to navigate around.

"Wait over in the mossy area and I'll be right back." Fallenpaw vanished again through another cave. She nodded and walked over to sit on the mossy dirt.

The medicine den was warm and carried both the sweet and bitter scents of herbs.

Droplets of water dripped down from the bramble ceiling and fell to the earthy floor, leaving a damp spot in the dirt before fading away slowly. Nightkit watched the water until Fallenpaw came back carrying something green and mushy in her mouth.

"Lie on your side so I can rub this into the wound." she meowed, "Which paw hurts?"

Nightkit rolled onto her side, making sure the leg that hurt was where Fallenpaw could reach, "This one."

Fallenpaw nodded and gently rubbed the poultice onto the hurting paw.

"It's cold!" Nightkit gasped.

Fallenpaw backed away calmly,"Like I haven't heard that reaction before. Anyway, try not to do that again, and stay away from the warriors den. The thorns gather heavily around there and you're crying woke up the cats from dawn patrol."

Nightkit tried not to look shameful and nodded,"Got it. Where's the warriors den?"

Without saying anything, Fallenpaw lead her to the entrance of the medicine den,"Just over there, underneath that Hawthorne bush, but remember, don't go inside. You'll be there when you're old enough to."

Nightkit nodded again,"Alright, I will. Thanks Fallenpaw!" the kit ran off for the nursery before she could listen to what the tabby had to say.

A small white cat came running straight at her and stopped when they were a mouse-length apart from eachother. "There you are, Nightkit! Duskshadow's been looking everywhere for you!"

"Why? What happened?"

"You leaving the nursery is what happened, mouse-brain! She's been going crazy, claiming she heard you calling from _Moonclan_ or where ever, and then after that, she thought she smelled fox even though my mother assured her no foxes lived in the area..." he sighed,"Must've been a bad frog or something."

"She's still in the nursery, right?"

"Hopefully... she was in there when I left, but let's just go back to make sure."

Both Nightkit and Shadekit started to run back to the nursery, but were instead pushed aside as a flurry of dark gray and light gray fur flew infront of their eyes. "Out of the way!" she heard.

Moments later, after shaking away her dizziness, Nightkit looked up and saw two figures dashing towards the nursery. One she recognized to be Fallenpaw, but the other was unknown.

 _That must be Whiskermoon, then..._ Nightkit thought. Whiskermoon was completely dark-gray, except for a hint of white on her muzzle.

Before Shadekit had time to get up, Nightkit had run off towards the nursery to see what was happening.

"Momma? Momma!"

She pushed past the medicine cats, but came to a halt when she gazed upon her mother. Duskshadow's fur was completely matted and on end, her eyes were dilated, and she was convulsing on the ground.

"M-momma...?"

Nightkit was too scared to tear her eyes away from the horrific scene. She began to back away slowly, not wanting to watch anymore. Soft teeth grabbed her scruff and her feet came off the ground,"Wh-who's there..?" she whimpered.

After a few heartbeats, she was set back on the ground again,"It's just me, Midnightshine."

"What's gonna happen to her...? Will she be ok..?"

Midnightshine didn't answer, she just looked into the nursery entrance. Every so often, Fallenpaw would appear, run to the medicine den, run back, then disappear again.

Unable to stand the silence, Nightkit turned to look for Shadekit. She glanced across the camp and found him next to a golden tom. He looked oddly familiar and she tried to pick up their conversation, but they were too quiet.


	4. Chapter 3: Ignition

Two moons had past.

Duskshadow couldn't be saved from her episode and soon died, leaving Nightkit distressed. Whitepine, the mother of both Shadekit and Toadkit, offered to foster Nightkit shortly after the clan mourning. Darkstar agreed and the clan went back to their normal duties, rather gloomily.

Nightkit woke up. The air was getting noticeably cooler and some of the leaves began to change color. She slowly got up, freeing herself from the white mass of fur that was Whitepine and looking again towards the nursery entrance. The once lush leaves now seemed a bit brittle. Before leaving the nest, she looked back at Whitepine to find her fast asleep as well as Shadekit and Toadkit.

After only taking a few steps away from the moss, she heard the voice of Shadekit.

"Nightkit...?" he yawned,"Where are you going?"

She shrugged, "I don't know,"

"Oh... Can I come?"

"Sure,"

Shadekit stretched and stood up, careful not to wake his brother, and followed Nightkit out of the nursery. The clearing was mostly empty except for a few warriors going back and forth between dens.

"There's a cat coming this way!" Shadekit gasped, grabbing Nightkit by the scruff and tossing her underneath a neaby bush. He bumped into her not long after.

Nightkit peeked out to see who it was.

Midnightshine was padding towards the nursery eventually disappearing inside.

Shadekit sighed with relief, "That was close," and crawled out from under the bush. Nightkit followed, but stopped to peer inside the nursery. Midnightshine was putting together another nest, possibly for herself.

"Come on, Nightkit!" Shadekit urged.

"Oh yeah," She caught up with him. Shadekit was half-way to the fresh-kill pile, but not facing it. He looked around, shifting his gaze between the warriors den and a moss-covered hole beneath a large rock.

Nightkit looked up at it in awe. The stone was huge, reaching up towards the sun and clouds. She lowered her gaze back down to the hole, which was lined with a thick layer of moss.

"That's Darkstar's den, though I don't know how she manages to fit in there."

"Is it small in there?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, but I do know that she doesn't want kits in her nest for some reason."

Nightkit heard the rustle of bushes and looked at the camp's entrance. Warriors came through with prey items hanging from their jaws.

"Over here." said Shadekit directing her to a low bush near the entrance. She followed and hid underneath with him,"Wait till' they go into the warrior's den, then sneak out." he whispered.

The group of cats set down their catches, two of them, a russet tabby and a black cat, retreated to their den. The other three sat in a circle on the far side of the clearing, whispering to each other. Something soft touched Nightkit's back, she looked over to see Shadekit's tail. Shadekit was looking at her and nodding towards the entrance, signaling that this was their chance. Nightkit nodded and followed him out from underneath the bush and out of PineClan's camp.

"Are you sure we're allowed to be out here?" she asked.

"We're not, but that doesn't mean we can't break rules,"

"I don't think I want to _break rules..."_

"Come on! Breaking rules is fun as long as you don't get caught,"

"Well..."

"Well, don't be a mouse! I want to show you something," Shadekit interrupted.

"Ok... but does it involve breaking rules..?"

"You're not gonna know until you get there, right? Besides, if we do get in trouble, you'll still have me." Nightkit smiled a little,"Now come on, we have to hurry."

They ran through the undergrowth, but Shadekit stopped in front of a bush and turned to Nightkit, who accidentally ran into him, both of them tumbling into the dead leaves.

"Oh, sorry.." Nightkit got up, helping Shadekit off the ground.

"It's alright, but I see you like helping others?"

"Yeah, does this thing involve helping others?"

"It does."

"And helping others isn't against the rules?"

Shadekit ignored her question, turning away and facing the bush, "On the other side of this bush there's a kit in pain. She got sick a few days ago and her mother abandoned her shortly after."

"How do you know all this?"

"I know a lot of things. Like I know who killed your mother."

"You know?! Who did it?!"

"Anyway," Shadekit ignored her question again, "This kit is in pain and I want you to help her."

"Can't we just get Whiskermoon to help?"

"She doesn't have the right herbs."

"Well, how else are we supposed to save her?"

"End her pain."

 _What?_ Nightkit thought _Does he want me to kill the kit?_ "Wh-why?"

"Don't think of it as killing another cat, think of it as doing them a favor. You're nice, I know, and I know you don't want another cat in pain. By killing them, you're relieving them of that and sending them off to another place."

 _Oh... I never thought of it like that..._ Nightkit thought.

"So, what'dya say? Are you gonna help her?"

Nightkit looked towards the bush and nodded, "Yeah, I will. If it'll make her feel better."

Shadekit smiled and lead her through the leaves. A clearing opened out before them, in the middle was a gray kitten, shaken with fear.

Shadekit slightly nudged Nightkit forward, and she stumbled awkwardly.

"How do I do it?"

"Just walk over there, you'll know."

"Ok..." she padded up to the kit and looked down at it. Its eyes were wide and its mouth was red. _What kind of illness is that?_ The kitten looked so small, so weak... too weak. Too weak to survive, it couldn't live in a world of savages. It was going to die young anyway, so why let it live through the pain? It'll have a better time in MoonClan than here.

Nightkit forgot about Shadekit behind her, about the danger of being caught outside of camp, about possibly being held back from apprenticeship, and only saw the kit below her. Nightkit could feel her claws flexing, almost hearing their want to rip the kit apart whether she was helping it or not.

"Go on... Do it..." Shadekit whispered in her ear.

The more she looked at it, the more Nightkit wanted to kill the kit. She took a deep breath, and plunged her teeth into the kit's head. She shrieked for a few heartbeats before falling silent. The metallic taste of blood began to fill her mouth, making Nightkit want to bite down even more.

But she let go, setting the kit down and backing away. Shadekit sat close, his soft pelt brushing her's. "See? She's off somewhere better now."

Nightkit smiled. She did do good... right? If it felt good, it _must_ be a good thing... right? She thought about the deed she had done for the gray kit, but couldn't deny the sickening feeling in her stomach.

 _No... This was good... This was the right thing to do..._ She told herself.

"So," Shadekit's mew broke Nightkit from her thoughts, "how was it?"

"Wha.. Oh, yeah... I... I don't know, but it felt... great..!" _Right?_

He smiled, "Good. Well, I'll help you wash the blood off your face, then we can get back to camp."

"Yeah... yeah.."

Nightkit followed Shadekit back through the bush and past a pile of pebbles, which she found a bit interesting. The ferns ahead gave way to a tiny creek. Shadekit scooped up as much water as he could in his tiny paws and smeared it on Nightkit's face, who was trying to fight the urge to flinch away from the cold water.

"Hold still!" Shadekit laughed,"or I'll hold you down myself!"

"But it's cold! Like that weird stuff Fallenpaw gave me for my foot!"

"Yeah well, I'm not touching your foot, I'm touching your face!"

Nightkit almost yelped as she fell into the grass as Shadekit planted his paws onto her shoulder, "Haha! Now I got you!" he mewled.

Nightkit gave up, letting the tom wash off her face with creek water.

"There, that should be the last of it. " He said after a while of scrubbing, "Alright, lets go back and hope Whitepine isn't awake."

Nightkit nodded and got up, following Shadekit back to camp.


	5. Chapter 4: Witness (Part1)

"WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?" Whitepine's enraged hiss broke the silence of Pineclan's empty clearing.

Both Nightkit and Shadekit shrank down.

"We were exploring... and got lost..." Shadekit explained.

Whitepine looked at Nightkit, who nodded,"Why are you covered in dirt, then?"

"I tripped over a pebble..." she responded,"I'm fine though..."

"Go see Whiskermoon."

"But I'm fine!"

"Go!"

Nightkit ran off as Whitepine started lecturing her son, slowing down when she reached the fresh-kill pile. She looked towards the Medicine Den. Should she go there? It'd be awkward but Whitepine might ask either medicine cat if she'd gone to them.

Before she could make a decision, a call rang out across the clearing.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting."

 _A what?_ She thought. Nightkit looked around. Warriors and apprentices were coming out of their dens and gathering in the middle of the clearing.

"Out of the way, kit."

Nightkit looked up to see a black and white tom carrying a peice of prey in his mouth. He made his way to an opening between two large bushes, and set a mouse down beside it. Several other warriors were also hauling prey to the opening. In just a few heartbeats, the entire fresh-kill pile had been moved, and many cats gathered to take its place. Nightkit turned again to the source of the call.

A large, dark-gray tabby stood atop the enormous rock. _That must be Darkstar..._ she thought.

"Nightkit! Nightkit come here!"

She turned around, again, and saw Whitepine beckoning her with her tail.

"Coming!" she replied, running to her as fast as she could. As soon as she got to Whitepine, she felt her soft, white tail wrap around her forepaws. Shadekit and Toadkit appeared on either side, watching eagerly, "What's happening?" Nightkit asked, looking up at her foster mother.

"Shh, just watch."

"Rainpaw, Blackpaw, please step forward."

Nightkit looked through the crowd. Two smokey-gray cats made their way infront of the surrounding clan.

"I, Darkstar, leader of Pineclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn," she started,"Rainpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

The smaller of the cats, who Nightkit guessed was Rainpaw, nodded, barely able to hide his excitement,"I do."

"And Blackpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The other tom nodded,"I do."

"Then by the powers of Monnclan, I give you your warrior names. Rainpaw, from this moment you will be known as Rainstorm. MoonClan honors your Bravery and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of PineClan."

Darkstar leapt down from the rock and placed her nose on Rainstorm, who licked her shoulder in response.

"Blackpaw," she turned to the larger tom,"from this moment, you will be known as Blackclaw. MoonClan honors your determination and fighting skills, and we welcome you as a full warrior of PineClan."

She repeated the process with Blackclaw. Then the Clan erupted, shouting the names of Blackclaw and Rainstorm into the sky.

Nightkit looked to the leader. What a position to be in, above the Clan but with them at the same time. Darkstar climbed the rock once again. She looked at the nursery in silence for a few heartbeats, then spoke up.

"This morning, the dawn patrol caught the scent of MeadowClan on our side of the border," she turned to a golden tom,"Would you like to give the details, Sunpelt?"

Sunpelt nodded and sat below the great rock,"Checking and marking the border along MeadowClan, we caught their scent several tail-lengths on our side. Investigating more, we found the remains of frogs and mice, traced with the scent of heather. Also, I feel as though it's important to note that there are foxes in that area, and possibly closer to camp."

Unsettled murmurs swepped through the crowd.

"Thank you, Sunpelt. We will discuss this more at the gathering. As for the rest of you, prepare for the worst, and be ready to defend this camp and this territory. We could either end up fighting MeadowClan, the foxes, or even both, but none of us will fall. If we do, it will be nobly." She took one last glace at the nursery and said,"As for now, the two new warriors will sit vigil tonight. Clan dismissed."

The cats in the clearing departed, going back to their usual duties. Nightkit looked up at Whitepine,"What was that?"

"That was a warrior's ceremony," she responded,"when you're old enough, you'll have your own."

"But what about the MeadowClan thing?"

"They've been trying to steal our prey for moons, and they say it's because of foxes stealing their rabbits. No one in PineClan believes them, though."

"MeadowClan's nothing!" Shadekit hissed, jokingly,"those cats are _way_ too skinny to win a fight! We'll beat them for sure!"

Nightkit looked away from them and saw Darkstar talking to another cat. She looked up at Whitepine, who was fake-laughing at her kit's determination,"Who's Darkstar talking with?"

She looked up,"That's Raggedclaw, the Clan's deputy. He helps the leader make decisions and organize patrols. He's her second in command, and if Darkstar died or joined the elders, Raggedclaw would take her place and appoint a new deputy..."

Nightkit drowned out Whitepine's voice with her own thoughts. _To become leader, would that brown tom have to kill Raggedclaw? Then maybe Darkstar? Are they sick too? Maybe he's doing them a favor too, and just asking me to help, right? Helping them is a good thing to do! So, I should help!_

"Nightkit! Are you deaf?"

A hiss, followed by a nip to the ear, ripped Nightkit from her thoughts,"Wh..what?" She swiveled around sharply to see Shadekit, who had an angry but playful look on his face.

"Whitepine keeps calling you, but you're just sitting here staring off into space."

"Oh, sorry.."

"We have to go to sleep now, even though its not even dark," he muttered a bit angrily,"Come on, Toadkit's already inside and, knowing him, probably already asleep."

Nightkit smiled and nodded, following him inside.


	6. Chapter 5: Witness (Part 2)

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Nightkit lifted her head and saw a bright red leaf slide down to her nose. Slightly alarmed, she jerked back, sneezing in the process, and watched the leaf gently fall to the ground. She must have disturbed Toadkit, because she heard him shift uncomfortably. Nightkit looked away from him and surveyed the nursery./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Redwhisker was sound asleep, as was Whitepine, but Midnightshine was gone. There was no sign of her or her nest, apart from the faint metallic smell in the air. That and the uneasy feeling made her want to leave, but where to? Nightkit got up, careful not to wake up Whitepine, and extra careful not to wake Shadekit or Toadkit./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Midnightshine might need help... She might be in danger... /emNightkit thought, climbing out of the moss, and then out of the nursery. The clearing was empty apart from a raven resting on top of the Fresh-Kill Pile. Her attention was snatched by a fit of rustling at the entrance. Nightkit braced as a gray she-cat appeared from the brambles./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Nightkit let go of her breath, it was only Midnightshine, and she was relieved to see her unharmed./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""Midnightshine!" Nightkit gasped, running over to greet the queen,"You're okay!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Midnightshine's eyes weren't the bright, blue orbs Nightkit was used to. They'd grown dim, but she smiled, though it was obviously forced./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""I-is something wrong...?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"The queen didn't answer. She looked to the kit, and Nightkit could see her eyes subtly glistening, but it wasn't out of happiness. It was water./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Is... Is she crying...?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Nightkit wanted to know what was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. The long, almost painful silence seemed to stretch for an eternity. They just stared at eachother. No movements, no conversation, not even a tail twitch./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Midnightshine shut her eyes and bolted off to the medicine den. Nightkit couldn't move, though. The sight of Midnightshine hurt somehow made Nightkit uncomfortable. She was always a warm and loving cat, and so cheerful about everything./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Nightkit's entire body felt heavy, and her paws were stuck on the ground. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't move. The raven's sudden screech broke her from her spell. She quickly turned to the Fresh-Kill Pile, and saw the black bird flying off. Something must have startled it./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Nightkit shook her thoughs clear and headed back to the nursery. The sky was slowly getting brighter, and Silverpelt was fading. The grass felt cold beneath her paws, and broad, red leaves were scattered across the ground./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"She could see Whitepine's fur through the brambles, and it seemed to almost glow as the light returned. She entered the nursery and gently squeezed herself between Shadekit and Toadkit. The sweet aroma of her foster mother and the warmth of all three cats knocked her out almost immediatly./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"* * */p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Nightkit opened her eyes to a sparkling, heavenly forest. The mouthwatering scents of prey were everywhere. She lifted herself up and looked around. Large, spirit-like cats towered over her, but they payed no attention to Nightkit. Instead, they conversed with eachother./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""...and there's nothing we can do to avoid it?" Nightkit picked up on their conversation./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Not a thing..."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Well, no, there is one thing... we can send a warning."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""But to who?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""The only two cats that are still loyal, of course, we can send them to-"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""Nightkit? Nightkit! Wake up!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""Whaa...?" she responded, still confused and half asleep./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""Mom won't let us play outside unless we're all awake, so get up!" She recognized Shadekit's voice./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""Mom wants us all to stay together... If one of us wakes up later than the others and doesn't know where they are, then they might get lost..." Toadkit was somewhere close too./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"The strange dream had left Nightkit a bit loopy, and she had to squint to make out Toadkit and Shadekit's figures, standing over her and almost bursting with excitement./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""Come on, Nightkit! We won't have this chance to play ever again!" Shadekit sounded urgent. What was all the fuss about? Play where? Nightkit got up on exhausted legs. Even after a half-night's sleep, she could barely walk, like the dream she had was draining her energy. Well, it was. Every time one of the brothers stopped talking, in the silence, voices popped into her head, reminding her of the giant cats in the white, heavenly forest. What was there to avoid? What danger? Could she stop it-?/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Her thoughts went back into hiding when her feet left the ground. Shadekit had grabbed Nightkit and was pulling her towards the exit of the nursery. "Come on!" He exclaimed through a mouthful of black fur. Toadkit stood by and watched, his tail swishing around impatiently./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""Alright, alright, just let me go!" Nightkit squirmed tiredly./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Shadekit dropped her and rushed out through the bramble entrance in a flurry of white fur and red leaves. Toadkit smiled and padded over to Nightkit, helping her up. "What's all this about anyway?" she asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""Come on out and see." Toakit replied, leading her to the hole in the bramble. The clearing was no longer clear. Warm colored leaves had fallen to the ground and covered what was once grass. Shadekit was diving down and throwing leaves up into the air. Toadkit ran and tackled him, and they both disappeared into the thick layer of leaves. Nightkit stepped forward. The air was chilly, but not cold, it was almost nice, actually./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"She immediatly jumped back when she heard a crunch beneath her feet. Looking down she saw a brittle leaf snapped in half. It was startling, but she found the sound somewhat pleasing and stepped on another, hearing it's crunch and smiling./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Nightkit plunged into the blanket of leaves in a sudden burst of energy, feeling the dry plants crumble underneath her paws. She looked up just as more leaves were kicked on top of her, blocking out most of the light./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Don't dive down too far... You might drown.../em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"She heard a faint whisper. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Drown..?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"It was a soothing, familiar voice, but she couldn't figure out who. Suddenly, all her senses got overwhelmed. Something like water filled her mouth and nose while a freezing current seeped beneath her fur. She couldn't open her eyes and her lungs screamed for air. Nightkit began to panic, em style="box-sizing: border-box;"What's going on?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"She started forcing herself up to where she thought the sky was, feebly pushing against the water that kept dragging her down faster and faster. Her legs tired, and she gave up on reaching the surface. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"It's so cold... Am I gonna die? /emShe thought./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"Her eyes closed for a second before snapping back open to the crisp, leaf-fall morning in PineClan's clearing. She took a massive gulp of air, still trembling from whatever just happened. She looked around, Toadkit and Shadekit were gone, probably back in the nursery. Nightkit wanted to follow them, but she couldn't get up. Her legs were rooted to the spot, so she layed there until she calmed down./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"A/N: whewwwwww boy I haven't been on here in forever oops. Some weird stuff happened in this chapter like symbolism stuff y'know? :0/p 


	7. Chapter 6: Counter

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath highrock for a clan meeting!"

Nightkit looked around for any signs of Shadekit or Toadkit before walking out from under a bush she was hiding under. A moon had past since her vision and Midnightshine's... thing.. Now she was six moons old, old enough to be apprenticed. The brothers were excited too, so much so that Whitepine sent the three of them outside to play and get their energy out.

 _It's finally happening!_

Suddenly, a mass of fluff toppled her over. It was Shadekit, "Found you!" He shouted.

They both got up,"Have you found Toadkit yet?"

"Not yet, but he's around here somewhere, I know it."

"You'd better find him quick, I think our ceremony is about to start."

Shadekit nodded, "I'll go look for him." Then he ran off.

Nightkit headed back to Whitepine, who was sitting by the nursery, impatiently. Shadekit and Toadkit soon appeared on either side as cats started gathering in the clearing. Darkstar stood atop the large rock and addressed the clan.

"Nightkit, Toadkit, Shadekit, please come forward."

The crowd of cats parted to make a pathway leading straight to Darkstar's rock. The three went down the path and sat below the large rock. Darkstar jumped down and approached Nightkit.

"Nightkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Nightpaw. Your mentor will be..." she paused, hesitantly, "Thorn.. I trust that he will pass down all he knows to you." she looked to the crowd, "Thorn, please step forward."

Nightpaw turned to see who it was. A familiar brown tom stood up and padded up to meet Darkstar and Nightpaw.

"Thorn, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Silverfang, and you have shown yourself to be swift and witty. You will be the mentor of Nightpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Nightpaw touched noses with Thorn and Darkstar moved on to Shadekit and Toadkit. Shadepaw was given Wildheart as a mentor and Toadpaw was given Fernspots. Afterwards, the crowd chanted their names.

"Nightpaw! Shadepaw! Toadpaw! Nightpaw! Shadepaw! Toadpaw!"

Nightpaw stood up, unable to contain her energy and excitement. She turned to run to Whitepine, when Darkstar began speaking again.

"Fernspots, Thorn, and Wildheart, take your apprentices to the Sandy Hollow to train for battle. The fight with MeadowClan was closer than I expected, and we need as many cats able to fight as possible." The four mentors nodded and Darkstar continued, "To make up for the lack of hunting, Sunpelt will assign more patrols than normal, so be ready. Clan dismissed."

Nightpaw turned to her mentor, "So your name's Thorn? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Thorn opened his mouth to speak, but just before any words came out, Shadepaw and Toadpaw tackled Nightpaw to the ground.

"Today's the day we start training!" Toadpaw squealed.

Nightpaw stood up and they both rolled off of her and onto either side. Their mentors were sitting together, whispering to each other. Nightpaw glanced over at the nursery, and saw Whitepine was gone, _She might've gone back to the Warrior's Den already._. She thought.

Shadepaw and Toadpaw were pushing her to move towards their mentors, "Come on, Nightpaw! We can't just stand around here all day, we've got training to do!" Shadepaw meowed. Smiling, Nightpaw gave in and walked with them. All three cats pressed against one another, Toadpaw to her left, and Shadepaw to her right.

"You three ready to start?" Fernspots asked as soon as they approached.

"Yeah! Lets go!" Shadepaw shouted, excitedly.

Thorn nodded and lead the way to the Sandy Hollow. It was a pretty large clearing with a giant sand pit in the middle. Nightpaw stepped onto it, and to her surprise, it was soft. A strong, fast breeze brushed her fur as the two brothers started play-fighting in the sand.

"Get up you two! We're doing serious training right now, this is no time for play-fighting!" Wildheart scolded them.

They both got up, shaking out their fur. Nightpaw walked over to them and sat next to Shadepaw.

Thorn spoke first, "The first move you will learn is a Forepaw Slash. It's very simple and easy to do," he nodded to Fernspots who stepped forward and demonstrated the move, swiping her paw diagonally across Thorn's face, claws sheathed.

Fernspots turned towards the three apprentices, "Now you three try, and remember to keep your claws sheathed."

They nodded and got into position.

"Hang on! Are you just going to start without us?"

Thorn and Wildheart moved aside as Fernspots turned to greet the newcomers.

"Hey, Willowpelt! You're just in time."

A golden she-cat appeared form in between two bushes, following her was a ginger tabby, who was not much smaller than her.

"I figured Applepaw could teach these three a few tricks. They'll need to learn everything they can before the fight."

"You're welcome to join, then," Thorn commented, smiling for once, "Your apprentice can train with mine."

"Guess that means we get to battle!" Shadepaw meowed, softly swatting his brother across the face.

Toadpaw just smiled back, "Yeah, it does.."

Applepaw padded over and sat a mouse-length away from Nightpaw. The two brothers were already swiping away at eachother, and Nightpaw watched them, smiling. A heavy blow struck the side of her face, and she stepped back.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent," Applepaw advised, dealing another hit. His claws were sheathed, but it still hurt.

Nightpaw swiped back, and managed to hit his muzzle, but the larger apprentice opened his mouth, softly bit onto her paw, and swung his head, flinging Nightpaw to the side. She rolled and got to her feet in time to see Applepaw charging towards her. She moved left just as he was about to tackle her, and rammed herself against his shoulder, knocking Applepaw onto his side.

Applepaw quickly got to his feet as Wildheart signaled for them to stop. Shadepaw and Toadpaw had been watching them, one curious, the other in awe.

"Interesting maneuver, Nightpaw," Thorn meowed.

"Heh. Thanks.." she replied.

"Anyway, there's more attacks we need to learn, and maybe we can work on that one you just did," Fernspots meowed.

Nightpaw nodded and they continued with their training.


	8. Chapter 7: Halfpelt, Halfheart

Only two days had passed since the ceremony. Two days, and Nightpaw felt like she knew every attack and maneuver there was. Shadepaw burst through the bramble entrance. Toadpaw followed, tackling his brother to the floor of the clearing. Nightpaw entered camp more calmly, watching the two tussle in the grass.

"Come on, you two, get up." Fernspots meowed, smiling.

Toadpaw, having Shadepaw pinned, stepped aside to let him up. They ran to sit by Nightpaw, Toadpaw reached her first.

"You three go get something to eat," Thorn meowed, "You all trained very hard, and you need to keep your energy up for tonight."

"What's happening tonight?" Shadepaw asked.

Thorn didn't answer, instead he started up a conversation with Willowpelt. They had already started walking away when Shadepaw asked his question. He stared after them, his face showing confusion, and a bit of anger.

"I wish he'd stop doing that... It's _so_ irritating," Nightpaw commented.

"Heh, I bet _those two_ have something going on," Toadpaw joked, "Anyway, something's going down tonight, and we need to keep out energy up!"

"Yeah! Let's eat!" Shadepaw shot up and raced Toadpaw to the fresh-kill pile. Smiling amusedly, Nightpaw got to her feet and followed them. The larger brother's white pelt caught her eye first. He was slower than Toadpaw, and, even with a headstart, she knew he'd never win. Toadpaw's words echoed in her mind.

 _"I bet those two have something going on..."_

Nightpaw couldn't help but smile. Maybe they could become mates, maybe they could raise a family. Maybe... The future isn't certain.

"Out of the way, mouse-brain!" Nightpaw was knocked to the side as two gray masses pushed passed her. Regaining her balance, she saw Whiskermoon racing to the medicine den. Curious, she followed. The bushes covering the den didn't seem so intimidating anymore. She still couldn't see over to the other side, however, even if she stretched her neck.

A fit of coughing switched her thoughts back to the Medicine Den. Peering in, she saw a golden tabby hunched over, his mouth coated red.

"You're going to be okay, Sunpelt..." Fallenpaw soothed, "We'll figure this out..."

"Well figure it out before I don't have any more blood to c-" A bought of coughing cut off his words. He was trembling as a thick red ooze drooled out of his mouth.

Something drew Nightpaw to get closer, entering the den and watching from the shadows. The sharp leaves poked and prodded at her back, as if trying to drive her attention elsewhere. The scent of blood was slowly filling the air, and Nightpaw half expected herself to unsheathe her claws in response, but she didn't. Something about the tom made her want to cry, but why? She only knew this cat as the Clan's deputy, nothing more.

Sunpelt was gasping for air. Fallenpaw and Whiskermoon were switching places, when one was taking care of the tom, the other quickly slid under a crack in the rocks on the far side of the Medicine Den. Nightpaw froze when Sunpelt made direct eye contact with her. His eyes were dark blue, like her's...

"Nightpaw..." he wheezed. Fallenpaw's ears perked up, and she followed his gaze, seeing the black she-cat hiding in the shadows. Nightpaw looked at Fallenpaw, who nodded, allowing her to come out of her hiding place. She did, padding over to Sunpelt, cautiously. They were about a tail-length away from eachother when Fallenpaw stopped her with her tail.

"That's close enough. I don't want you getting sick too..." She whispered.

"Oh, for MoonClan's sake!" Nightpaw heard Whiskermoon gripe as she came out of the crack between the rocks, "If we have _another_ patient in here I'm gonna-" her words cut off when she met the young apprentice's confused gaze, "...Oh, Nightpaw..."

Whiskermoon took Fallenpaw's place beside Nightpaw as she got up and left to go get herbs, "I'm so sorry you have to see him like this..."

"But I don't..." Nightpaw paused. She wanted to tell Whiskermoon that she didn't know this cat as more than a deputy, but now she wasn't sure.

She looked back at Sunpelt. His dark blue eyes were fogging up, like he was crying. His jaw was covered with blood, clumping the short strands of fur together. His chest subtly jerked when it rose and fell.

Nightpaw flinched back when Sunpelt began coughing again.

"Fallenpaw! Hurry up!" there was a touch of panic in Whiskermoon's call. Fallenpaw rushed out of the crack with a large poultice in her mouth.

Blood poured out of Sunpelt's mouth and pooled beneath him. Between each cough was a faint gurgling sound as he tried to breathe in passed the red fluid collecting in his throat. He trembled and his claws dug into the moss bed. The medicine cats sat back and watched.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to help him?" Nightpaw yelled, hearing her own concern for the deputy.

"There's nothing we can do right now. Only hope he makes it through."

Nightpaw angrily turned away, facing Sunpelt, again. He was crouched down on the moss now, gasping for air. He looked into her eyes, "N-Nightpaw..." he choked out, "I-..." He quickly faced the ground as clumps of blood fell through his teeth and dropped onto the moss. After a few heartbeats, he collapsed onto his side, eyes shut tight, mouth wide open and coated red.

Whiskermoon put her ear up to his chest, then sighed, "He's gone..."

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Nightpaw..." Fallenpaw touched her shoulder with her tail, but why? Why were they trying to comfort her?

"Your father was a good cat... He's in MoonClan now... with friends."

 _My father?!_ Nightpaw stiffened. This cat, the deputy, the strong warrior who suffocated to death right in front of her... _That's my father...?_

Nightpaw's confusion worsened when she realized she didn't feel sorrow, not even sickened. She was just... shocked... Shouldn't she be crying right now? Yowling into the sky about how unfair life is, instead of sitting here staring at a lifeless body?

"Whiskermoon..." Darkstar's voice cut through the silence, "How is he...?"

Whiskermoon glanced towards her, green eyes darkening. Darkstar must have gotten the signal right away and sat beside the medicine cat.

"Is he safe enough to hold a vigil?"

Fallenpaw nodded, "We believe so."

"Right. Today's a busy day, I'll call a clan meeting."

"Do you already have a new deputy in mind?"

"Possibly, I'll appoint them before the vigil. Then, we'll bury Sunpelt... and get ready."

The medicine cats nodded, and began cleaning up Sunpelt while Darkstar padded off. Nightpaw followed her to the entrance of the Medicine Den, but stopped when she saw Shadepaw and Toadpaw sitting there, looking in. She slowly walked up to them.

"Did you guys see any of that...?" she asked.

"Some of it," Toadpaw replied, "I'm sorry, Nightpaw..."

"You don't need to be... I didn't know him that well, even if he was my father..."

"Well, I also mean I'm sorry you had to see death that close at such a young age. I mean, we just became six moons old. Some of the elders described their first experiences as... well, traumatizing. I bet your's was even more so..."

Nightpaw glanced at Shadepaw, who glared in response, as if to keep her from mentioning the kit killing. She could almost hear his voice in her head saying, _Don't you dare, that's our secret._ Nightpaw could hear, and almost feel, his commanding tone. Looking back at Toadpaw, she nodded, "Yeah, it was..."

Shadepaw's face softened, "It'll be alright, though. You've got us."

"I do."

" _And_ you still haven't eaten, have you?"

"Oh, yeah, food. I forgot about that."

The three got up and walked to the fresh-kill pile, Nightpaw in the middle. She was able to grab a mouse from the top, and Shadepaw and Toadpaw each grabbed their half-eaten kills. The three began to wolf down the food. Looking up for a second, Nightpaw saw the Fallenpaw and Whiskermoon carrying Sunpelt's corpse.

"What are they doing?" Nightpaw asked.

"Apperently, when a cat dies, the cats closest to him or her sit vigil for some amount of time," Toadpaw responded.

"Why didn't they do this for my mom?"

"That I don't know."

Nightpaw watched as the medicine cats arranged Sunpelt to look like he was sleeping peacefully.

"Is that really what they do? He didn't die peacefully..."

"It's a tradition, I guess, to let the Clan let go of him easier," Shadepaw meowed.

Shadows of cats drifted over Nightpaw as warriors began moving the fresh-kill pile. She looked up and saw Darkstar jumping to the top of the rock.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath highrock," she shouted.

Warriors and apprentices came out of their dens, each either gasping or murmuring. Nightpaw sat up and looked around, trying to see who she knew. Hawktail, Wildheart, Fernspots, Thorn, and Applepaw. Redwhisker sat beside the nursery with Whitepine, Hawktail soon joined them.

"I'm sure, by now, we know what has to be done..." Darkstar's statement was quieter than normal. She leaped down from the rock as cats gathered around Sunpelt's body. The three stayed back, watching.

"You know, Nightpaw," an orange tom stopped beside her, on his way to mourn the deputy's death, "you are his kit, so you're welcome to join us."

Nightpaw looked at Sunpelt, expecting to feel the pain of a kit losing it's parent, but nothing came. All she saw was a cat who was here, and now is gone, "Why?" she asked. The question came out more unemotional than she'd hoped.

"Well," the orange tom seemed confused, "he was your father. Wouldn't you want to spend time with him?"

"But he's dead."

"But-" he paused, then sighed, "then you stand back... and watch, I guess." the tom walked away, crouching down beside the deputy's body.

A drop of water hit Nightpaw's nose, making her look up. The sky was beginning to darken with clouds, and another raindrop hit her ear, "Looks like it's gonna rain," she meowed, "Do you think that _thing_ is still gonna happen?"

"Probably," Toadpaw replied, "we still don't know what it is yet."

"Shh! She's speaking," Shadepaw silenced them.

Darkstar sat facing Sunpelt, as did the other warriors. She began speaking, "Sunpelt was a strong, noble warrior. He never went too far, nor was he scared of it. He'd done excellent work training Wildheart into the warrior she is today. He always did what was best for the Clan, even if it meant going outside the code. He knew when to strike, and when to stand guard. I thank MoonClan for his life, and now, Sunpelt walks with them in the stars," Darkstar lowered herself to meet the former deputy's face.

"That must really hurt Darkstar..." Toadpaw said, "Snowheart says she and Sunpelt had been leader and deputy for many seasons."

"Really?" Nightpaw asked. They must've gotten along pretty well if they've led together for that long.

"Yeah, she told me Sunpelt was first appointed when she was an apprentice."

"That's a long time!" Shadepaw gasped, "and Snowheart's old!"

Nightpaw saw a flash of white smack the side of Shadepaw's head, "I'm old, but I'm not deaf!"

Shadepaw looked up, "Heh, sorry, Snowheart.."

"You best be sorry, insulting an elder like that."

"It wasn't an insult, I promise!"

"Oh yeah? Then what was it?"

"It was a... uh..." Nightpaw could tell that Shadepaw couldn't think of anything clever to say.

Snowheart laughed a little, "I'm just messin' with ya. You kids be safe," she trotted off towards the Elder's Den.

A few heartbeats went by before Nightpaw smirked and meowed, "So, Shadepaw, was it an insult?"

"Oh, shut up! Like you could've thought up anything."

"Oh, yeah? I bet I could."

There was a hint of mischief in Shadepaw's eyes, "Oh really?" he then called out, "Hey Snowh-" Nightpaw tackled him, cutting him off, "Hey!"

"Shut up!" she hissed, playfully.

"What, are you scared of her?"

"No I-"

"Hey Toadpaw! Nightpaw's scared!" Shadepaw called to his brother, who laughed in response.

"Mouse-brain!" Nightpaw swatted his face. Shadepaw rolled over, sending them both into a tumbling ball of play-fighting.

Nightpaw kicked the tom off of her and stood up, "Attack Toadpaw!" she yelled.

"Yeah!" Shadepaw shouted.

"Wait! What?!" Toadpaw was shocked, but before he could move out of the way, the other two apprentices had tackled him onto his side.

"We win!" Shadepaw meowed.

"That's not fair! I wasn't ready!" Toadpaw complained, smiling.

"You always have to be ready! That's what Applepaw told me," Nightpaw advised.

"But we aren't in battle."

"Still have to be ready."

Darkstar's voice filled the clearing, "As the Code states, I must appoint a new deputy," Nightpaw looked up, seeing the leader perched on top of the rock, "I say these words before the body of Sunpelt, so his spirit may hear and approve of my choice," she surveyed the crowd of cats, "...Foxclaw, you were Sunpelt's brother, you trained together and fought side-by-side. You settled arguements quickly, and trained Ivyspring into an exceptional warrior. Will you accept the role as Deputy of PineClan?"

The orange tom nodded, happily, "Yes, Darkstar."

 _She didnt pick Thorn..._ Nightpaw thought. She saw the golden tom twitch his tail, irritably.

"We cannot let a death in the Clan damage us too much," Darkstar started speaking again, "Today's schedule will not change. MeadowClan warriors will be waiting for us, and if we don't appear, we'll lose hunting grounds. Go on, now. Rest, eat, train, do what you need to do to prepare. I'll call everyone back together when it's time," She lept down from the rock.

"So it's a battle!" Shadepaw meowed with excitement.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go ask Fernspots if I can train some more. You wanna come with me?" Toadpaw turned to Nightpaw.

"I'm good, tired from training so I'm gonna go to the Apprentice's Den and probably sleep."

"Okay," Shadepaw said, a bit disappointed, "I'll train with Toadpaw, and you can join us whenever you want."

She nodded, "I will."

The two apprentices ran off towards the Warriors Den, and Nightpaw made her way to the Apprentices Den. Hints of black fur were stuck to her moss bed. She curled up in it and fell asleep almost instantly.

 _A dark blue cat sat next to a small river, staring down at its reflection in the glistening waves. Nightpaw watched from afar. She couldn't make out any edges on the cat's body, just a dark blue silhouette with what seemed like lighter blue eyes and mouth._

 _The water was starting to grow, swirling around the silhouette's paws. Nightpaw couldn't make much of its face, but the cat clearly seemed uncomfortable. The water continued to rise up to its legs, yet it didnt move. It only stared into the blank abyss below._

 _Nightpaw tried to yell to it, but she couldn't open her mouth, nor could she move from her spot. The silhouette then closed its eyes and let itself fall into the rising water. Nightpaw watched the blue cat sink beneath the waves, then she blacked out._

She woke up in the Apprentices Den. It was darker now, but not night yet. Nightpaw exited the den and saw Darkstar climbing to the top of the rock.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath highrock for a Clan meeting," she announced.

She heard a rustle at the Camp's entrance as Fernspots, Shadepaw, and Toadpaw appeared through the brambles. The three apprentices met each other in the clearing, surrounded by cats on all sides. Each warrior was either flexing their claws or ripping at the grass.

"The time has come for a battle patrol to set out for the border," Darkstat looled across the crowd, "Where is Wildheart?"

"Out hunting by the StreamClan border," Fernspots answered.

Darkstar nodded, "I guess she'll have to miss out then. Willowpelt, Thorn, Ivyspring, Hawktail, Fernspots, Midnightshine, and Lightningear will be in the group, along with your apprentices and Shadepaw. Foxclaw and I will lead. Whiskermoon," she turned to the medicine cat, "I trust you will take care of the camp while we're away?"

"Does that question seriously need to be asked?" Whiskermoon retorted, "Of course I will!"

Darkstar chuckled and leapt down from the rock, "Let's move out."

The group of cats followed her out of the camp and onward towards the MeadowClan border. Shadepaw was almost jumping with each step he took, while Toadpaw followed behind calmly, though the smaller brother's ears twitched fitfully. Nightpaw could barely contain her excitement either. It was their first battle, and against their rival!

Applepaw appeared at her side, "You remember what I said at training, right?"

"Never look away from your opponent," she answered.

"And?"

"If I'm pinned by a larger cat, scratch at their stomach!"

"One more."

Nightpaw thought hard for a minute, then it came to her, "Don't fight a cat larger than you!"

Applepaw smiled and nodded. He turned to address all three of them, "I wish you all luck tonight. You've trained hard and I'm positive you will do well on the battlefield."

"Thanks, Applepaw," Toadpaw meowed.

Up ahead, the warriors whispered to one another, as they closed in on the moor. The pine trees became sparse the closer they got to the border. Nightpaw could smell the sweet scent of heather among the sharp tang of pine needles. She felt another drop of water hit her ear. The drops slowly became more frequent, and then it started drizzling. The dark sky was made visible when they reached their destination. Nightpaw could see eyes peering out of the streaks of heather. She could feel Shadepaw tensing beside her.

In a flash, the opposing sides launched out in a fury of claws and teeth. Nightpaw was frozen in the fray, unable to move. The sounds of cats hissing and spitting and yowling in pain filled her ears. She was shoved out of her trance by a larger warrior, "Watch out!" they hissed sharply.

Nightpaw walked a few paces away, desperately looking for Shadepaw or Toadpaw. She ran over when she spotted Toadpaw pinned down by a brown MeadowClan cat. Nightpaw twisted around and rammed her shoudler into the larger cat, freeing Toadpaw from his grip.

"Thanks, Nightpaw," he got up. Toadpaw's face was scratched up and bloody, but otherwise he seemed fine.

"Have you seen your brother?"

"Nowhere-" A shrill yowl cut through his words, "...Shadepaw!" Toadpaw ran off before she could say anything. Nightpaw followed him through the tumbling bodies. They found Shadepaw held by a cat who seemed to be a warrior. His pelt was tortoiseshell, but his face was perfectly split down the middle, one half gold, one half black.

Nightpaw was too scared to move, seeing blood stain Shadepaw's white fur. His eyes stared off into the sky as he thrashed wildly, trying to break free from the warrior's grip, but the warrior had Shadepaw's entire neck in his jaws, and Nightpaw could see him slowly squeezing down on it.

"WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE, NIGHTPAW?! WE HAVE TO HELP HIM!" Toadpaw's grief stricken yowl sliced through her thoughts.

Nightpaw shook her head and leapt forward, latching onto the warriors back and biting down on his ears, pulling hard and ripping them apart. The cat yowled in pain, releasing Shadepaw and throwing Nightpaw off. Toadpaw stood between the warrior and his brother as Nightpaw regained her balance and slashed at the warrior's face. He backed up, green eyes shining in the moonlight. Nightpaw got ready for another attack when she heard a yowl from far away.

"MeadowClan! Retreat!" she saw a gray tabby perched atop a rock, addressing its Clan.

Moments later, the PineClan patrol erupted in shouts of victory and insults of cowardice towards the retreating MeadowClan patrol. The half-pelted warrior glared at Nightpaw, and she thought she saw a smirk on his face, like their running away wasn't the end. Then, he pelted off to join his clanmates.

"Guys...?" After the Clan had quieted down and started heading back, she heard a faint mew from behind. Turning around, she saw Toadpaw hovering over Shadepaw, who was struggling to raise his head. Nightpaw raced over, worry stabbing her heart. Toadpaw's eyes were glazed over with tears.

"Shadepaw, please... stay with us..." the small tom croaked.

"It's okay, Toadpaw... I've done my part in this world..." Shadepaw coughed, "Even when I'm gone, ...I'll still be here... watching over you two..."

Nightpaw noticed a perfectly straight line going down the center of his chest, _A wound like that can't be healed in time..._ She thought, "Shadepaw... please... If you stay with us long enough maybe we can..."

"Shhhh..." Shadepaw interrupted her, slowly bringing his paw up to touch her's. Their eyes met, and Nightpaw saw his amber gaze darkening, but he still wore a smile on his face. A smile she'd only ever see him with once before. An image of the gray kitten came to mind, and the satisfaction on Shadekit's face when she'd ended the poor kit's life. Her thoughts came back to reality, Shadepaw still looking into her eyes, "I'll always be with you," he whispered. Then, his amber eyes shut, and his chest stopped moving.

"We..." she heard Toadpaw whisper beside her, "we could've done something... Instead we just stood there like two kits staring shocked at the sun... I-.." a sob cut his words off. Before Nightpaw could try to comfort him, Toadpaw slowly turned and walked away, head hanging low and tail dragging in the dirt. Nightpaw looked back to Shadepaw's body. His face still carried that same satisfied smirk, like he wanted this.

She still couldn't believe it. The three of them could've grown up together, fought together, patrolled together... _We could've been mates, even..._ She thought, her vision blurred by tears.

She remembered his final words _"I'll always be with you,"_ They rang in her ears like someone else was saying them, someone who was watching. She suddenly felt a warm gaze watch her from behind. Turning around, she saw a fluffy, white tom approach.

"I'm guessing you two were close..?" his voice was soft, and a bit sorrowful.

"Yeah... a bit.."

The tom sat next to her. He was about as tall as she was, and his fur was unbelievably soft. Nightpaw could almost mistake him for Shadepaw, his eyes were the same yellow-amber, but his face was round and gentle.

"What's your name...?" Nightpaw asked.

"Steinpaw, and your's?"

"Nightpaw."

He smiled, "Fitting name. With a pelt as dark as your's, you could stalk through undergrowth and no one would notice you."

"Heh, thanks.."

 _Don't get too attached already..._

Nightpaw heard a soft, but stern whisper, as well as feeling light pressure and warmth on her side. She turned to see who it was, only to find a sky full of stars and competing foliage separating PineClan from MeadowClan.

"You okay? You look like you've heard a ghost," Steinpaw joked.

"Yeah.. I just thought I heard something.."

"Probably just the wind."

"Maybe..."

"Anyway, I should be heading back-"

"Or maybe..." she tried to think of a way for him to stay, "I might need help carrying Shadepaw back to camp..."

"They might not like me going into their territory," he responded, "but you are a grieving friend, so I'll help."

Nightpaw smiled, picking up Shadepaw on one end, and Steinpaw picked up the other. After a bit of adjusting, they eventually got the dead cat stretched out onto both of their backs, and they began walking towards PineClan camp. Nightpaw almost enjoyed the feeling of Steinpaw's soft fur and sweet scent, but resisted from taking any more steps closer to him.

They eventually arrived at the camp's entrance. The guard, Ivyspring, hissed, "Ugh, is that heather I smell?"

"Sorry, miss, I'm just helping Nightpaw bring back a casualty from the battle..." Steinpaw apologized, "I won't be here long."

"Whatever, just go on ahead," she snarled and looked away. The apprentices brought Shadepaw's body into the clearing. Nightpaw heard shocked, quiet murmurs among the Clan cats.

Whitepine ran up, "Nightpaw! Are you okay? What happened?!" her worried gaze turned cold when she saw the MeadowClan apprentice, " _You..._ " she snarled, "What did you do to my baby?!"

"Whitepine, he didn't do anything. In fact, he helped me carry Shadepaw's body," Nightpaw replied.

"I don't care! He's from MeadowClan, which means he's a terrible cat!"

"Not necessarily..." Steinpaw muttered, keeping a calm expression.

"Whitepine, come back here," Darkstar's stern mew pulled the furious she-cat away, "Thank you for helping her, Steinpaw. I'm sure you weren't the cause of his death."

He smiled, "No, you know I don't fight. I watched the battle from a safe distance, and even caught Shadepaw's killer."

"You did? Who-" Darkstar's mew was cut off by an angry, grieving Whitepine.

"Who did it? Who murdered him?"

"It was Halfpelt..." he mewed.

"That rogue Rainstar let into MeadowClan... I'LL KILL HIM!"

"No!" Darkstar swatted Whitepine, "No more killing. We'll sort out everything at the next gathering. You two will probably want to come too, I suppose?" she looked at Nightpaw and Steinpaw.

"I'd like that," he nodded.

"I would too!" Nightpaw responded.

"Very well. Nightpaw can escort you to the border, and tell Rainstar what happened tonight."

"Will do."

Darkstar and Whitepine took Shadepaw's body from them and Nightpaw led Steinpaw out of camp. The sky was dark, and she could barely see anything in front of her. They remained silent while walking through the undergrowth, until a faint voice spoke to her.

 _You better not fall in love, Nightpaw..._

Nightpaw stopped and looked around. Steinpaw looked at her, seeming somewhat worried, "Something wrong?"

"I keep hearing words... must be the wind again. Anyway, the border's coming up."

"I guess this is where we part ways. It was nice to have that walk with you."

"Yeah, it was..." something touched Nightpaw's words. Sadness? Why would she be sad to say good by to a _MeadowClan_ cat? "I hope we... see each other at The Gathering?"

He nodded, "See you then, I guess," the white tom sprinted off into the heather.

"Yeah... see ya.."


End file.
